Factors that should be considered in breaking down the project into individual activities

for better control are the following:

1. Nature of the work/homogeneity: If the work involves two different materials
and/or is measured by different units, it must be divided into two different activities.
For example, wall construction involves framing, electrical wiring, drywall, and
painting as basic different activities.
2. Location/floor/segment: Activities occurring in different locations must be
separated.
3. Size/duration: For large activities or those with large quantity, it is better to divide
the activities into smaller portions. For example, excavation activities can be divided
into smaller activities by grid or depth. For linear excavation, this can be divided by
stations or 100-foot segments. This helps in measuring the work’s progress during
execution. As mentioned earlier, this can be a contractual requirement.
4. Timing/chronology: Sometimes a portion of the work may be delayed purposely by
the contractor. For example, a portion of the slab on grade (SOG) for a building may be
delayed until the end of the project because the area is being used as storage. Such a
portion must be considered as an activity by
itself.
5. Responsibility/trade: Schedulers must break down portions of work that are done by
different parties (e.g., subcontractors, crews). In case of a schedule delay or variance, it
is important to indicate who is responsible for the variance.
6. Phase: This can be a division made by the designer based on certain criteria, such as
timing, location, or other aspects.
7. Contractual restrictions: In many contracts, especially government contracts, there is
an upper limit to the duration of an activity, which in turn limits the size of that activity.
Such a limit usually ranges from 14 to 30 days.
8. Level of confidence in the duration: The scheduler should use the “divide and rule”
principle: whenever the scheduler’s confidence in the duration of a certain activity is
not high enough, the activity must be broken down into smaller activities so that the
confidence level increases